Many appliances utilize fluids for various purposes, such as cleaning purposes, fluid supply purposes, etc. Dishwashers, washing machines, and refrigerators are examples of such appliances. Such appliances typically include conduits for flowing fluids therethrough, both for use in the appliance and for drainage from the appliance. Additionally, pumps may be utilized to encourage fluid flow through such conduits.
A dishwasher appliance, for example, typically includes a pump for flowing fluid through a circulation pipe and a pump for flowing fluid through a drain pipe. The circulation pipe circulates fluid from a sump of the dishwasher appliance to spray assemblies which direct the fluid towards articles within the dishwasher appliance to clean such articles. The drain pipe drains fluid from the dishwasher appliance.
Known pumps utilized with appliances to encourage fluid flow through appliance conduits typically include an impeller positioned within a housing through which the fluid is flowed and a motor positioned outside of the housing. The conduit is in fluid communication with the housing, such that the fluid is encouraged through the conduit by the impeller. In many cases, the outlet is generally perpendicular to the inlet, such that fluid flowing past the impeller must make a radial turn to exit the housing into the conduit. The motor, which is typically a synchronous or three-phase motor, is partitioned from the housing and conduit such that fluid generally does not contact the motor.
Recent rules and regulations have made the use of such pump arrangements relatively burdensome. For example, various requirements with respect to power and vibration have caused increases in pump costs and decreases in efficiency when pumps are designed to meet such requirements.
Accordingly, improved pump assemblies for appliances are desired in the art. In particular, efficient and inexpensive pump assemblies which satisfy energy requirements would be advantageous.